Q&A: Rory Townsend (BIKE Channel Canyon)

A rider who was one of the big stars of the 2016 Pearl Izumi Tour Series, Rory Townsend of Pedal Heaven, will be in Bike Channel/Canyon Colours in 2017

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Q&A: Rory Townsend (BIKE Channel Canyon)

A rider who was one of the big stars of the 2016 Pearl Izumi Tour Series, Rory Townsend of Pedal Heaven, will be in Bike Channel/Canyon Colours in 2017

Rory says he’s understandably thrilled to not only be staying with his DS from 2016 Tim Elverson but also be part of this all new British UCI team.

“Canyon bikes for me are second to none and I can’t wait to get out on my Canyon Aeroad” he explained in his interview. “Working with bike soup and the Bike Channel will be particularly exciting! Tim (Elverson) is exceptionally loyal, something that I think isn’t too common in cycling so it felt right making this change with him as DS.”

1. What was the highlight of 2016 for you and why?
Rory: The Tour Series was obviously great for me. The one race that stands out was Redditch, it was our first team win, my first night in the jersey and I took the fastest lap. Was so great to share that moment with Craig (Peters, team owner of Pedal Heaven) as well.

2. What was your favourite/most fun race of 2016?
Rory: Favourite race was probably Lincoln GP. The course this year was great with Michealgate coming round so often. Good fun for those watching as well! Most fun was sliding around Edinburgh Tour Series in the rain. Epic!

3. What was the toughest race of 2016 for you and why?
Rory: The toughest was the National Road Champs (Stockton). I was desperate to do well on a course that suited me, I had great legs but raced it like it was Guildford crit and not national champs!

Complicated celebrations from Rory at the Perfs

4. What is the best piece of equipment (clothing/bike/gadget) to do with racing you are proud of most?
Rory: Around this time last year I had a crack at the university duathlon champs. I used a Canyon Speedmax for it and that really was something special.

5. What is your warm up routine for races – rollers or turbo? Music or no music?
Rory: Rollers for road, turbo for crits. Tim has quite a collective mix of pre race tunes to get us going. It was Red Hot Chillis at Rutland and then Jaguar Skills at Pompey Tour Series!

6. What’s your favourite discipline on the road; road racing and/or crits (and why?)
Rory: The kermesse style is great, there’s less stress of a crit but all the speed.

7. Will you stay in the UK to prepare for next season during the winter or get in a training camp or two abroad to get in some serious miles?
Rory: I’ll be here for the most part. It’s not so bad in the south and the wattbike and I are good friends. As a team, we are looking at heading to Tuscany in January which will be a nice change of scenery.

8. When will you start training for 2017 and what comes first – long steady miles or a mix of miles and efforts?
Rory: Training for the new season is well underway. I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym with Paul Roberts of tribal fitness which has been invaluable. Accompanying that, has been a lot of efforts on the bike, more miles will be done later.

9. What are the goals for 2017?
Rory: I’m looking forward to experience a more international race calendar. The British classics like Lincoln and Rutland, I’m looking forward to them also. With British cycling having scrapped the Star Trophy it now means that we can ride for someone in a race that suits them instead of riding for an overall contender so I hope to have more opportunity in these races.

10. How tough is it being a pro bike in the UK – what are the biggest challenges?
Rory: Difficult for me to comment as it’s all I know! I suppose from my perspective as a younger rider, it is potentially harder to break out to some of the bigger teams abroad.

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